BUSINESS DEPARTMENT RECEIVES BOOK DONATIONS

Business department of the Kisumu National Polytechnic fraternity received book donations from the Suba Resource Centre Director Dr Oseno and his Counterpart Dr Alala Ondiek both lecturers from Masinde Muliro University.

Mrs Nyanjom addresses the gathering

The event attended by Mrs Joyce Nyanjom, Chief Principal, Dr Charles Nyangara Registrar, Mr Samuel Oballah, HoD Entrepreneurship Studies department, lecturers and students from the department took place at the department meeting room in the college. The duo presented 10 copies of “The Conceptual Framework” a research handbook published by Dr Alala and 20 copies of “The Internal Control Systems” a book which the author Dr Oseno described as “ very useful to the Cooperative Development Students as “ Cooperative movement contributes 45 percent of the Kenyan GDP, in Kenya one out of five people are in a cooperative organization of their choice.“ Kenya is doing so well especially in the agriculturally rich areas, our counterparts in other countries however have a ratio of 3:1 in involvement in Cooperative movement” he added.

While addressing the students Dr Alala took his time to underscore the need for research and that of the student to understand how to write good research proposals and papers. He took the students briefly through the research process and observed the need for a better understanding of research process “preparing a Conceptual framework in research can be challenging, and we hope this book shall help you as you write your research projects” Alala said.

Dr Alala gives a brief lecture on the importance of Research to the students

While receiving the gift, the chief Principal appreciated the philanthropy by the two donors “ it is not everyday that we experience such kindness, our entrepreneurship department has lacked books on Cooperative movement for a long time and this is indeed a good gesture” Nyanjom said, she also encouraged the locals to focus more on education adding that the Kisumu National Polytechnic has grown over the years through concerted efforts from the students, staff and other collaborators as well as the Ministry. “do not waste time, gain what you can from your lecturers” she urged the scholars

The Chief Principal emphasized the need to join cooperative movement to hasten the development process “ while growing up as a young girl, my parents entrenched in me the importance of Cooperatives and urged me to join a Sacco, which I took seriously and I must say, Saccos have helped me achieve my personal development projects” Mrs Nyanjom said “ I urge you all my good students to find an appropriate Sacco and join, do not wait” she reiterated.

“I wish to encourage the partnership we have with Masinde Muliro as a Universirty of Technology, they have supported us and we believe they shall continue to support us even as we plan to offer our degree programmes for which we have been mandated” the Principal added.

Suba Resource Centre, is a community-based organization within Suba District whose main objective is to enhance the community access to middle level colleges and other tertiary institutions “Some regions lack tertiary and middle level colleges and also lack information on how to gain access to such colleges, we play a linkage role and create awareness” Said Dr Oseno

The centre has also partnered with the African Development Bank that offers scholarships to students in tertiary colleges by playing the liaison role “last year we brought in some students, in September Intake we shall have about 300 students admitted to the Kisumu National Polytechnic” Oseno added.

“I would like to support the girl as well as the boy-child to dream hard and not be comfortable and content” Mrs Nyanjom concluded.

Faculty members from The Kisumu National Polytechnic and their partners from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) met with industry representatives from the region to initiate a skill-based curriculum development process.

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour KIWASCO

The meetings were held at partner organizations’ premises and involved seminars and plant tours for equipment familiarization and skills assessments. Later, boardroom meetings took place to demystify the expectations of skill-based training and build common ground on partners’ expected contribution to the project. Some of the industries visited included Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries, Chemelil Sugar, Equator Bottlers Limited and Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO).

Kibos Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Kibos Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Kibos Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Kibos Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Kibos Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Kibos Sugar

PARTNER COLLEGES

During the visit experts from the partner colleges including the Dean of School of Applied Science of Humber College Dr Farzad Rayegani, and his counterpart from Selkirk College Cory Drew, visited partner companies to assess their skill needs and the staff cadres required so as to factor them in the curriculum development

“To be successful in this program we have to partner with you as industry and understand your needs, because essentially, we train for you” said TKNP research coordinator Ochieng Odek who set the tone for the meetings. Mr Drew demystified the partnership by clarifying its levels, “the levels of partnership are in three categories, the overall partnership where engineers would be involved in managing students’ projects and the other two aspects that involve programme development and training in automation and process programming”. He further explained the necessity of developing a working document for plant operations that includes Standard Operating Procedures for all processes, “In Canada we have the students develop the SOPs and identify tasks which they must perform to qualify for grades, this ensures quality is maintained,” he said.

Equator Bottlers

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Equator Bottlers

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Equator Bottlers

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Equator Bottlers

The industry partners showed eagerness to participate in the project that would see training institutions meet their direct staff needs especially plant and production operators as well as engineers, minimizing internal staff training costs, “we don’t need artisans at equator bottles. Our needs would be better served by diploma-level trainees and higher qualifications”, said Equator Bottlers Plant Maintenance Engineer Dickson Ogolla. The meetings also served as feedback sessions where industry partners shared the knowledge gaps they had observed on interns from technical institutions, “ in the curriculum you should consider introducing aspects such as instrumentation, pneumatic and hydraulic systems while emphasizing report writing skills,” he added.

Chemelil Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Chemelil Sugar

Kisumu Poly and Partners from Canada tour Chemelil Sugar

Senior management at Kibos including Peeyush Kotia and Vimalendu Satyam were enthusiastic about the partnership and were quick to identify areas of collaboration, “This is a good program because we participate in developing students to become our potential workers,” Mr Satyam explained. The tour helped to understand the equipment used at the factory and the technology applied by the industry. The managers described their needs for specific cadres of staff they employ with Mr Satyam adding that Engineering in their perspective consisted of operational, maintenance and knowledge in specialized/product-based engineering thus making Sugar Engineering Technology appropriate. “Industry partnerships are like a prolonged interview where employers get to assess a potential employee’s skills before actual employment. The partnership allows sharing of resources and skills with industry” added Mr Drew.

SUCCESS STORIES

The Canadians shared success stories, giving practical and graphic examples of how student initiated projects under the leadership of senior engineers and lectures have been flourished, “Internships are just one way of developing skills. Another good way is to have students work on projects with industry that help them solve real problems, not theoretical ones. These partnerships offer the support of experienced engineers and lecturers at no cost to the industry,” Dr Farzad explained.

To enrich the students’ experience a few were taken on the tour to have a feel of the planned partnership of which their feedback was positive, “I have greatly benefited from this tour as a student of Mechanical engineering, interacting with senior engineers and getting first-hand information from the plant is unforgettable,” said Lucy. “From the meetings and facility tours, my observation is that the basic components are the same and constitute about 80 per cent, the other 20 per cent can be complemented through in-plant industry training and student projects,” Dr Farzad observed.

The sessions were a follow-up to partnership orientation seminars and benchmarking meetings between local institutions and their Canadian partners last year. In June 2017 TKNP hosted the Western cluster of national polytechnics and their Canadian counterparts during an orientation seminar that commenced the institutional partnerships. Project staff from TKNP with Principal Joyce Nyajom in the lead followed up with a benchmarking trip to Canada, “The visit gave perspective to the partnership we have engaged in, we learnt a lot as an institution which we shall transfer for the benefit of the polytechnic” said Registrar Dr Charles Nyangara.

The partnership that seeks to develop competency-based programs in the energy and agricultural sectors in the ten Kenyan national polytechnics is an initiative of the Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP), the Ministry of Education and the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). It will run for three years between September 2017 and August 2020 with the aim of training and graduating 1200 students from technical institutions. TKNP will compile the outcomes which will inform the next phase of the project.

The Kisumu National Polytechnic concluded its maiden International Conference that was packed with scientific presentations from scores of scholars drawn from local and international institutions. Dr Meshack Opwora, the director of Technical and Vocational Educational and Training represented Dr Kevit Desai, PS State department of Vocational and Technical Training at the Ministry of Education who was scheduled to officiate over the ceremony.

Speakers at the Conference titled ‘Science, Technology and Innovations, for Wealth Creation and sustainable development’ included Prof Shem Wandiga, an academician, Managing Trustee of Centre for Science and Technology Innovations, a UNESCO associated Centre and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nairobi and Dr Farzad Rayegani, Dean of the School of Applied Technology Humber College, Canada. Humber College is a TKNP partner in the Kenya Education for Employment (KEFEP) program in association with the Canadian Institutions and Colleges (CICan).

Prof. Wandiga during his address at the conference

Amb Mohammed underscored the need for sustainable innovations that create wealth, adding that the ministry had embarked on rolling out competency-based training in partnership with stakeholders such as industry, business and the community. “I urge the polytechnic leadership to regularly review their training programmes to ensure they are relevant to the labour market and meet society’s needs.” Amb Mohammed added in her message that an increased focus on research and innovations within the polytechnics is necessary to contribute to national development because such research should translate into conference papers and publications in peer-reviewed journals which contribute to development.

In his address Prof Wandinga observed that climate change had affected the lifestyles of human beings, Meteorologists should explain concepts in a simple way that people understand so that farmers can start associating seasons with activities”, he said. He went on to explain that climate change was evident in weather patterns “We no longer experience short rains in the months we expect them and farmers can’t predict and plan.

Dr Rayegani lauded the Education Ministry’s support in providing equipment to enable competitive training of students and industry support in offering internships for hands-on skills to learning. “The polytechnic should continue training for industries and this can only be possible through partnerships that allow institutions to understand industry requirements and develop curriculums based on industry needs … We involve industry players in aspects such as curriculum development and train students to provide solutions which opens up avenues for absorption during work opportunities,” Dr Rayegani said.

TKNP Leadership and Guest Speaker enjoy the presentations

TVET Authority Director General Dr Kipkirui Lang’at and TVET County Director Lucas Ocharo were among education officials who graced the occasion. Presenters kept the audience glued to their seats with their engaging papers. ”We are pleased by the quality of presentations we have witnessed this year. We received more papers than we actually anticipated,” said Ochieng Odek, the Research and Innovations coordinator at TKNP.

In his closing remark Mr Ocharo noted that while research ideas existed and some were well documented, low funding is a major challenge, “the funders support only ideas that favour their interest and not the general public or the public good.” He urged students and other innovators to continue generating ideas on Science and Technology for wealth creation despite these obstacles. “The government will always fund proposals aligned to its strategic plans, those that support the four pillars of the Vision 2030” he said.

“From the feedback we have received so far in form of comments from participants, we should think of setting up clinics that have experts training on research and paper presentation skills, to improve the quality of presentations we make,” TKNP Chief Principal Joyce Nyanjom said.

Kisumu Polytechnic triumphed over 21 institutions to win the trophy for the best institution at the Technical, Vocational Education and Training Western regional innovation contest that the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutes organized in Kisumu County.

TKNP Eco-Homestead Demonstration

TVET Kisumu County director Lucas Ocharo officiated over the three-day event that Kisumu County government officials, guests and principals of from various technical institutions attended.

TKNP won five trophies in total (best institution, two runners-up and two second runners-up trophies with three projects ranked fourth). Some of the winning projects included; the Automotive Engineering departments’ water hyacinth harvester that gathers the weeds for usage in creation of beds, bags, seats, manure, etc. Another innovation was paper pulp made from waste paper and hyacinth and energy provision briquettes made from rice husks and other waste materials as an environmentally safe energy source used for cooking.

In his address the Mr Ocharo emphasized the need to inculcate a culture of research and innovation among students pursuing different courses in TVET institutions, “Vision 2030 recognizes the role played by research, development and innovation in accelerating economic development in all the industrializing countries of the world”, he said.

TKNP’s Applied Sciences department also developed an innovative cooking stove known as ‘Jiko Stima’ whose heat generates electricity used in lighting. “This innovation is actually ready for sale, if you take this ‘Jiko Stima’ to the market it would sell like hot cakes” said TVET County Director Mr Ocharo. Another captivating innovation was the hand operated mini plough that sows seeds as it cultivates.

TKNP Water Hyacinth Harverster

The three day TVET fair under the theme ‘Research, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development’ attracted 21 institutions including national polytechnics, Technical Training institutions, and Institutes of Technology and Technical & Vocational Training institutions from across the region. The annual event that enables students from various institutions to showcase their innovations and compete against peers attracted many attendees, a sign that Kenyans are developing a keen interest in technical and vocational education.

Contestants displayed great competence evidenced in the exhibits presented by different institutions. Judges had a difficult time determining the winning exhibits that would proceed to the National Science Contest in April this year. They graded exhibits on the basis of their resonance with the theme, level of creativity and innovation, its applicability in real life, aesthetic value and functionality. The judges also considered whether exhibitors registered their creative idea.

TKNP Awarded Trophy for Most Innovative Institution

Regional TVET fairs take place across the country and winning items proceed to compete during the annual science week that the National Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation (NACOSTI) organizes annually.

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